


You're So Gorgeous, It Actually Hurts

by NicoAndTheNineGalaxies



Category: Taylor Swift (Musician), Twenty One Pilots
Genre: First Kiss, Just Friends, M/M, Mutual Pining, Tyler and Jenna are friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-24 14:37:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14357541
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NicoAndTheNineGalaxies/pseuds/NicoAndTheNineGalaxies
Summary: In which Tyler is absolutely smitten, and Josh hates his real eye color.





	You're So Gorgeous, It Actually Hurts

_ You should take it as a compliment that I _

_ Got drunk and made fun of the way you talk _

 

Tyler never wanted to get drunk.  He just didn’t want to spend the whole night staring at that pink-haired stranger across the room, so he busied himself with one drink.  Then another. Then a few more.

He was absolutely mortified when Jenna told him that he’d mocked the stranger for the way he talked.  He was acting like a little kid who didn’t know how to deal with his feelings.

 

_ You should think about the consequence of your _

_ Magnetic field being a little too strong _

 

Tyler pretended he didn’t notice the way that group of girls was looking at the stranger.  It only made sense that someone so cute would have a few fangirls, but did they really have to be so obvious about it?  Tyler at least had the decency to stop himself from staring.

 

_ And I got a boyfriend _

_ He’s older than us _

_ He’s in the club doing _

_ I don’t know what _

 

Tyler’s boyfriend was almost definitely a few years older than the stranger, who looked to be around Tyler’s age.  Tyler’s boyfriend was also quite a while away. The long-distance thing wasn’t working anymore, and they both knew it.  They’d talked about breaking up, but never actually gotten around to doing it.

So the morning after Tyler saw the stranger for the first time, he called his boyfriend.  “I think we should break up,” he said after the usual greetings had been exchanged.

When he hung up, he felt a bit freer, a bit less guilty about his...well, his crush.

 

_ You’re so cool _

_ It makes me hate you so much _

_ (I hate you so much) _

 

That stranger.  Did he have to be so...so  _ social,  _ so  _ outgoing? _  Everyone seemed to love him.  Tyler hated it. There was no way the stranger would ever talk to a quiet boy - well, mostly quiet.  When he wasn’t drunk.

 

_ Whisky on ice _

_ Sunset and vine _

_ You’ve ruined my life _

_ By not being mine _

 

Tyler couldn’t focus on his music, or Jenna’s chatter over the phone, or anything else.  He  _ had _ to talk to that stranger.

 

_ You’re so gorgeous _

_ I can’t say anything to your face _

_ ‘Cause look at your face _

 

When he smiled, it lit up his face.  And his eyes, those perfect, almost-too-blue eyes...they were absolutely astonishing.  If Tyler felt this flustered just  _ thinking _ about talking to him, then he could never actually go up and talk to him.  He’d embarrass himself, he knew.

 

_ And I’m so furious _

_ At you for making me feel this way _

_ But what can I say? _

_ You’re gorgeous _

 

Tyler was angry.  The stranger was beautiful.  Too beautiful. Tyler didn’t want to feel this way about something so untouchable.  Not some _ one, _ the stranger was too perfect to be a real person.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

_ You should take it as a compliment that I’m _

_ Talking to everyone here but you _

_ You should think about the consequence of you _

_ Touching my hand in a darkened room _

 

Tyler could be more outgoing if he had to be.

When Jenna dragged him to this party and Tyler saw the stranger again, he almost screamed.  Just his luck.

But he could definitely be more outgoing, he tried to tell himself as he and Jenna wandered around, talking to one person and then another and then another until all the faces blurred together.  Tyler was feeling overwhelmed, so he excused himself and went to find the bathroom.

He leaned heavily on the sink, staring at his face in the mirror and wondering why he was here, at this party, with people he didn’t know, sneaking glances at his secret crush that he’d never actually spoken to, and - 

Well, speak of the devil.

A man with bright pink hair walked in.  Tyler stared at the man’s reflection in the mirror, feeling a hand rest on his gently, a fleeting touch but one that made his heart beat faster anyway.

“Hey, you okay?” The man asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

“Yeah,” Tyler said somewhat breathlessly.  “Just...a lot of people out there, you know?  I don’t really like people.”

“Hey, you’re the guy that was at that other party last week, right?”

Tyler whipped his head around to look at the man, eyes wide with horror and embarrassment.  “I was hoping no one remembered that.”

The man laughed.  “Hey, it’s cool. We all say some weird stuff sometimes.  I’m Josh.”

And just like that, the stranger had a name.

_ Josh. _

“I’m Tyler.”

“Nice to meet you, Tyler,” Josh said.  “Are you going to hide here for the rest of the party?”

“Probably,” Tyler admitted.

“Weren’t you here with a girl?  She might get worried.”

“Oh, Jenna?  Yeah, she’s a friend of mine.  She knows what I’m like at parties - typically I just disappear halfway through and don’t come out again until everyone’s gone.”

“I do that sometimes,” Josh confessed.  “Debby never worried, though. I think she assumes I’m just talking to people.”

 

_ If you got a girlfriend _

_ I’m jealous of her _

_ But if you’re single _

_ That’s honestly worse _

_ ‘Cause you’re so gorgeous _

_ It actually hurts _

_ (Honey it hurts) _

 

“You’re really pretty,” Tyler blurts out before clamping a hand over his mouth.  “I don’t suppose I can pretend I was drunk this time?”

“Nope,” Josh said with a chuckle, his cheeks burning red.  “Sorry. You’re pretty too.”

This time it was Tyler’s turn to blush.

 

_ Ocean-blue eyes _

_ Looking in mine _

_ I feel like I might _

_ Sink and drown and die _

 

Tyler’s gaze was fixed on Josh’s perfect blue eyes.  Almost-too-perfect.

He felt like he could drown in them.

 

_ You’re so gorgeous _

_ I can’t say anything to your face _

_ ‘Cause look at your face _

_ And I’m so furious _

_ At you for making me feel this way _

_ But what can I say? _

_ You’re gorgeous _

If anything, after that party Tyler was more furious than ever.

He and Josh spent the entire time talking in the bathroom, until Josh checked his phone.  “Geez, Debby’s leaving already. I should go.”

“Oh,” Tyler said, trying to hide his disappointment.  And who the heck was Debby? “Yeah, it’s okay. I’ll see you around, Josh.”

“Hold on a second,” Josh said, pulling a pen from his pocket and writing something on a paper towel.  “Um, this is my phone number. You could call me sometime.”

And then he was gone.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

_ You make me so happy it turns back to sad _

_ There’s nothing I hate more than what I can’t have _

_ You are so gorgeous it makes me so mad _

_ You make me so happy it turns back to sad _

_ There’s nothing I hate more than what I can’t have _

_ Guess I’ll just stumble on home to my cats _

_ Alone _

_ Unless you want to come along? _

 

Tyler called Josh two days after the party.

Josh picked up quickly.  “Hello?”

“Hey, it’s Tyler.”

“Tyler!  It’s great to hear from you, man.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t doing anything and I figured I’d call you,” Tyler replied, trying to sound casual but not as though he was trying to sound casual.

If that made any sense - his thoughts were all jumbled.

He blamed Josh.

“Um, I was wondering if you’d want to come over sometime and we could chat in person?”

“Yeah, of course!” Josh said, sounding enthusiastic.  “I’d love to. What time?”

“I was thinking later today?” Tyler asked, picking anxiously at a loose thread on his jeans.  “Like, at three or something.”

“Definitely!” Josh agreed.

 

_ Oh, you’re so gorgeous _

_ I can’t say anything to your face _

_ ‘Cause look at your face _

_ And I’m so furious _

_ At you for making me feel this way _

_ But what can I say? _

_ You’re gorgeous _

 

Tyler opened the door for Josh immediately.  He knew he probably looked unnaturally excited for his friend to come over, but he didn’t really care.  It was  _ Josh. _

“Hey, Ty,” Josh said, smiling.

Tyler tried not to blush at the nickname, but he could feel his face heating up.  He decided the best thing to do would be to give Josh a nickname as well. “Hi, Jishua.”

Josh raised an eyebrow at him, though he was smiling.  “‘Jishua?’”

Tyler just grinned.  “Come on in.”

“Um, actually, I wanted to say something…and I’d prefer it if I could just leave immediately if it freaks you out or whatever.”

Tyler tilted his head to the side.  “Okay…”

“You’re really cute and really nice and I know it’s weird that you caught my eye when you were drunk and making fun of the way I talk, but that’s the boldest you’ve ever been so I noticed you and I saw you hanging out with Jenna and I knew she was going to drag you to that party so I made sure I was there and then I saw you go into the bathroom and…” Josh trailed off and shook his head.  “What I’m trying to say is, I wanted to meet you but I’m really awkward and you looked nervous to even be at the party so I didn’t want to just go up to you. Plus, my friends are really, um...overprotective, I guess. They would’ve asked about it and I didn’t want everyone knowing I liked you and - “ He broke off, eyes wide. “Did I just say that?”

“Yes,” Tyler said slowly, too shocked to believe it.

“Sorry.  I’m so, so sorry, Ty, I should just - “

“What color are your eyes?” Tyler asked suddenly.

“Um - what?”

“Your eyes,” Tyler repeated.  “They look too blue. I’ve never seen anyone’s eyes that are that blue.”

“That’s because they aren’t,” Josh admitted.  “I just hate my real eye color.”

“Can I see it?” Tyler asked.  “Your real eye color?”

After a moment Josh nodded, removing his colored contacts from his eyes.

And Tyler was astonished.

Josh’s brown eyes looked so natural, dark but not too dark.  They reminded Tyler of honey and tea and the transition from summer to fall.  They reminded him of days spent sitting in his backyard, staring at trees in the distance, twirling his pen between his fingers as he tried to think of something to write.  They reminded him of the creek running through the woods, the one he . They reminded him of balance, because their darkness was not frightening, but comforting instead. There was warmth in Josh’s eyes, like there always had been, but it was clearer now, unobscured by the contacts.

“Tyler?” Josh said hesitantly, bringing Tyler back to the present.

“Yeah, sorry.  I just...you’re...you’re freaking amazing, Josh.”

“Really?”

And before Tyler could even realize what he was doing, he closed the distance between them and sealed their lips in a kiss.

 

_ You make me so happy it turns back to sad _

_ There’s nothing I hate more than what I can’t have _

_ You are so gorgeous it makes me so mad _

_ You’re gorgeous _

_ You make me so happy it turns back to sad _

_ There’s nothing I hate more than what I can’t have _

_ You are so gorgeous it makes me so mad _

_ You’re gorgeous _

 

Tyler didn’t hate Josh anymore.

Josh was perfect.

Josh was his.

Josh was gorgeous.


End file.
